July marks Disability Pride Month, which commemorates the passage of the Americans with Disability Act on July 26, 1990. It is estimated that the disabled community makes up the world’s largest minority, comprising 15% of the world population (WHO) and 27% of the US population (CDC).
The Disability Pride Month flag was recently redesigned with softened colors for those with color vision deficiencies and with straight lines instead of zigzagging for those with visually-triggering conditions like seizures and migraines. It symbolizes:
- Red – physical disabilities
- Gold – neurodiversity
- White – invisible and/or undiagnosed disabilities
- Blue – mental, emotional, and psychiatric disabilities, including mental illness
- Green – sensory disabilities, including blindness and deafness
- Faded black background – “suffering of the disability community from violence and also serves as a color of rebellion and protest”
Learning Opportunities (Courtesy of KQED):
- The Gang of 19: History of the ADA Movement
- Creating an Inclusive Richard III, recorded live from Central Park
- Wonderfully Made – A PBS Short Film about Kashmiere Culbersome, a disabled college student